EU-Africa to cooperate on resolution of refugee crisis

Representatives of EU and African economic and social stakeholders have expressed interest for cooperation in the resolution of the refugee crisis and in the shared management ofefugee crisis migratory flows.

They requested that the upcoming summit of EU and African heads of states on migration, in Valletta, Malta from 11 to 12 Nov., take note of their willingness for the cooperation in addressing challenges created by migration, according to an EU statement on Friday.

Concluding their three-day meeting on Thursday in Brussels, Belgium, the economic and social stakeholder representatives in the EU-Africa network called for a comprehensive, consistent and uniform European effort to address the problem.

"This effort should include a review of EU and Member State legislation and policy on immigration, the strengthening of police and judicial cooperation in combating criminal networks engaged in human smuggling and trafficking, and the establishment of the requisite conditions for political, economic and social stability in countries in conflict," said the resolution of their meeting.

The representatives reaffirmed the need to involve the socio-economic partners and non-governmental organizations in the preparation, monitoring and assessment of development programmes and in the management of migration policies.

They welcomed the aims of the EU action plan against migrant smuggling and support strengthened cooperation in combating criminal networks engaged in human smuggling and trafficking, while protecting the human rights of migrants and ensuring that only traffickers are punished, and not migrants themselves.

They also welcomed the EU proposal to tackle the external dimension of the refugee crisis by, interalia, setting up an Emergency Trust Fund for Africa to address forced displacement and irregular migration.

The representatives said they advocate the joint development of safe humanitarian corridors for migrants from conflict countries while emphasizing the importance of adequate funding and closer cooperation between EU and African countries, that takes into account the role of strategic partners and civil society.

They called for special support and funding of domestic initiatives providing services to asylum seekers and refugees and relieving the hardship of displaced populations and victims of human trafficking;

They underlined the need for EU and African countries to cooperate on legal migration and mobility by promoting a common migration policy that is consistent, respects human rights and is based on a spirit of solidarity and cooperation with the countries of origin.

The representatives expressed support to an approach that facilitates the recognition and accreditation of the skills and qualifications of migrant workers and which takes into account the needs of both sides.

They also advocated that the mobility partnerships between the EU and African countries should develop into mutually beneficial agreements.

Source: XINHUA